Cup Spy Sept 4, 2023: Big breeze blows out Practice Day 3, with nasty sea state
by Richard Gladwell/Sail-World NZ 5 Sep 2023 12:20 NZST
5 September 2023
Practice Race start - AC40 - Barcelona - September 1, 2023 © Job Vermeulen / America's Cup
What happened in the Cup - September 4, 2023:
No racing on Monday - scheduled to have been Practice Day 3.
Winds gusting over 30kts have prevailed in Barcelona for the past couple of days, resulting in there being no sailing in the practice racing ahead of the first Preliminary Regatta in Vilanora, just over 25nm along the coast.
The forecast for Tuesday is for the winds to moderate in Barcelona, but still expected to be fresh.
More serious was the wave height which peaked at 1.9metres, at 1800hrs on Sunday evening, and were 1.6mts - 1.8mtrs for the next 24 hours, according to an America's Cup Buoy located in the racing area. At the time the breeze was only 20-25kts from the NE.
Racing should be possible on Tuesday, the last of four scheduled Practice Days. As of 1100hrs on September 5, the breeze in Barcelona was only 10kts, with flat seas.
This commentary was written and compiled from video, still images and statistical content extracted from the AC37 Joint Recon program and other material available to Sail-World NZ including photo files, and other on the water coverage from the 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2021 America's Cups. Its format is intended to give Sail-World readers a snapshot of all teams' progress on a given day or period.